BEETLEJUICE, BEETLEJUICE, BEETLEJUICE! I had the pleasure of attending the most hilarious musical sparked from the hit movie BEETLEJUICE released back in 1988. This ghostly musical is currently performing at the National Theatre in downtown Washington DC before making way for it’s Broadway debut! Are you a BEETLEJUICE fan? Are you wondering if you’ll love this production as much as the movie? Let me share the highlights so you can decide!
My husband and I were so excited when we heard the beloved BEETLEJUICE movie was being turned into a musical….and so I started digging a little bit more when I heard is was making it’s pre-broadway debut at the National Theatre. This is one of my favorite theaters (where all seats are comfie & fabulous)! But, I admit, I was worried I’d find myself disappointed. After all – how could they possibly pull off BEETLEJUICE on stage?
You can only imagine my surprise as I looked further into the musical to learn that BEETLEJUICE the musical would be staring Tony Award nominee Alex Brightman as ‘Beetlejuice,’ two-time Lortel Award nominee Sophia Anne Caruso as ‘Lydia,’ Tony Award nominee Kerry Butler as ‘Barbara,’ Tony Award nominee Rob McClure as ‘Adam,’ Obie Award winner Adam Dannheisser as ‘Charles,’ two-time Drama Desk Award nominee Leslie Kritzer as ‘Delia,’ Jill Abramovitz as ‘Maxine Dean’ and ‘Mrs. Shoggoth,’ Danny Rutigliano as ‘Maxie Dean’ and Kelvin Moon Loh as ‘Otho’. My interest was peaked with that stunning line up of talent. Decision has been made – I HAD to see the show
The BEETLEJUICE experience starts as soon as you arrive at the National Theatre – check out the images above! Take your seat and you’ll find the energy in the theater is outta this world! This musical, I’ve learned, was 8 years in the making and everyone is busy taking selfies, reading over the program and talking about their favorite scenes from the movie!
The first scene starts with a funeral and who jumps outta the casket of course – BEETLEJUICE, and then the laughs begin! It’s showtime, folks! I hope you go to the bathroom before you sit down because you won’t stop laughing and you won’t have a break until intermission! BEETLEJUICE is rude, raunchy and frankly, more repelling than EVER! You will have never laughed so hard listening to his insults all based on the wonderfully demented film by Tim Burton all those years ago.
BEETLEJUICE goes on to tell the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager obsessed with the whole “being dead thing.” Lucky for Lydia, her new house is haunted by a recently deceased couple and a degenerate demon who happens to have a thing for stripes. When Lydia calls on this ghost-with-the-most to scare away her insufferable parents, BEETLEJUICE comes up with the perfect plan, which involves exorcism, arranged marriages and an adorable girl scout who gets scared out of her wits.
The scene sets and the talent are what make this musical a HUGE 5 star HIT! I can completely see now why this production was 8 years in the making – the sets are hands down, the BEST I’d ever seen!
Get tickets now to BEETLEJUICE – hell, bring the whole family! We’ve got plenty of 4-letter words that your kids will love. NOW playing at the National Theatre in Washington DC from Sunday, Oct. 14 – Sunday, Nov. 18
NOTE:
The ensemble includes Tessa Alves, Johnny Brantley III, Ryan Breslin, Brooke Engen, Abe Goldfarb, Eric Anthony Johnson, Elliott Mattox, Mateo Melendez,George Merrick, Ramone Owens, Devin Roberts, Presley Ryan, Kim Sava, and Dana Steingold.
BEETLEJUICE is directed by two-time Tony Award nominee Alex Timbers with choreography by Connor Gallagher, an original score by Eddie Perfect and a book by Scott Brown and Emmy Award nominee Anthony King.
PARENTAL DISCRETION IS ADVISED. Contains strong language, mature references, and a lot of the crazy, inappropriate stuff you would expect from a deranged demon.
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